Well it would not be that BAD if Target would actually start to stock w4&5. TRUS has barley started to get W4, so that put all the presure on Wal Mart and all the scalpers know this and rape the pegs leaving nothing for the true COLLECTORS!

Along the same lines of this question, if you have been buying figures at retail this year - which store has been the best source so far? I've been preordering sets online, because I don't have as much time to hunt, but I've seen every figure from waves 1-3 at retail so far (no 4 or 5 yet though). I've picked up some "extras" as well, along the way. I would say Target and TRU have been the best so far, with TRU maybe being the best source here locally. I've seen the first three waves' McQuarrie figures at TRU at least twice (surprisingly), and they also have a good supply of Legends. Ever since a new Super Target opened in town, they have been well stocked with 1-3 and Legends as well. Wal-mart has been a no show. They are finally getting something in the TAC packaging, some Wave 1 Legends. Those are the first new line figures there all year. I think, aside from one AOTC Clone, I haven't bought a single basic figure at Wal-Mart this year. Its been nice avoiding there though, as our closest store is always crazy busy and in general disarray. I think until some of their exclusives (comic packs/Rebo band) start hitting, I'll avoid it altogether.

The only things I buy at Wal-Mart and TRU are the exclusives, because it's just not worth it for me to go to those 2 stores that often when I have 3-4 Targets that I pass on the way to get to either of them...

This year, not including army builders, my buying has come at 80/20 in favor of online.

Saves me in gas, time and frustration. And saving on the "GTF" factor as I'm calling it, has become a big thing for me. Hmm, maybe I should switch that to GFT so it looks like "gift." heh heh.

As far as which store has been teh best at retail, that by far has to be TRU for me. But that's sort of a bias as I now am in a program that saves me 10 cents per gallon of gas for every $50 I spend in gift cards at TRU (as well as other retailors/restaraunts/etc). I've had several free tanks of gas because of this.

Target just doesn't get as much in as it used to and Wal*Marts are near dead around me.

I've actually been very happy to buy from TRU. We ALL need TRU to stay in business. For one it keeps the big boxes in order and competition as well. But ther very idea of NOT having a toy store to get toys from astounds me. When I think retail toys, I think TRU.

Logged

I'm just a humble collector trying to make his way through the universe...of toy aisles."We are strong. We are resilient. We are American." - President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address 2010

I agree on the point about TRU. Aside from occasionally higher prices and the fact that they rarely clearance things, I really hope that our store is doing well and won't be closed like so many others have. Regardless of prices/etc., its a "fun" place to go - and I remember being amazed the few times we got to go there when I was a kid (we lived in a small town, so only got to go on the rare occasions we drove the hour to the nearest one). I hope the store is always there for kids' sakes if nothing else.

I'm almost exclusively getting my stuff at Target or from friends who have ordered online. W1-3 was all Target (maybe 3-4 figs from TRU), and W4 came from buddies. TRU's hours are too limited and there's only one nearby; Wal-mart's 24 hour policy makes it tough to figure out when new stuff will arrive and it always seems picked over by the time I get there. There's also only one even remotely nearby versus 6-7 Targets and even a Kmart in closer proximity.

I would buy more online if it wasn't for the mixed assortments. I've bought cases from NF and EE before, but I hate getting duplicates that I don't need. If you get the case early, you can sell them to friends, but if the cases arrive later than retail, you're stuck with extra product that you don't need.

I've gone online for everything so far this year, and that has worked out pretty well. I'm caught up (aside from extras) through Wave 6, and I haven't seen anything past a few Wave 4 figures here locally (our WM is packed with older TSC figures, so they've been worthless for anything newer). I've got the remaining three waves preordered as well, but I'm wondering if I should cancel them or not. With everything hitting so heavy this back half of the year, its making the credit card bills look scary - and making the wife unhappy. Has anyone else been relying on retail this year, or is it easier to go online? I don't think it would have been so bad if things were spread out a little more, instead of getting waves 4-9 in 3-4 months.